Selflessness and Regret

In "5 Choices You'll Regret Forever," Travis Bradberry of Forbes, reminds us of the exorbitant price of what Ayn Rand called second-handedness with his very first example:

When you make your decisions based on other people's opinions, two things tend to happen:

1. You make a poor career choice: There are too many people out there who studied for a degree they regret or even spent their lives pursuing a career they regret. Whether you're seeking parental approval or pursuing pay and prestige over passion, making a poor career choice is a decision that will live with you forever.
2. You fail to uphold your morals: When you get too caught up in what your boss thinks of you, how much money you think your spouse needs to be happy, or how bad you will look if you fail, you are at high risk of violating your own morals. Your intense desire to make yourself look good compromises your ability to stay true to yourself and, ultimately, to feel good.

The best way to avoid falling prey to the opinions of others is to realize that other people's opinions are just that -- opinions...

Bradberry closes by rightly stating that "focus and perspective" are required for good choices. The implication of his first example is that what Rand identified as selfishness is essential to being able to have either.

-- CAV